Author's Note: Hope you all enjoy, thank you for reading and commenting!

Song Inspiration: Enemy Fire by Bea Miller

TWENTY-TWO | ENEMY FIRE

The door to Kamui Woods office was open, so Bakugo sauntered in. Akira stood in front of Kamui's desk and nodded as she typed some notes into her phone. Her auburn hair bounced on her shoulders, her dangling earrings jingled.

"Anything else, sir?" Akira asked.

"Kick him out," Kamui said, nodding to Bakugo.

Akira turned around and chuckled. "Good morning, Ground Zero."

Bakugo walked over to Kamui's desk, standing beside Akira. "Morning," he said to her then turned his attention to Kamui. "Can we talk?"

"You have ten minutes before your meeting, sir." Akira bowed her head and quickly left the room, closing the door.

Kamui sighed, leaning back in his seat. His chair squeaked as he shifted and gestured for Bakugo to start talking. "You get five minutes to complain, then you're off to UA."

Bakugo nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his gray slacks. He'd been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep. The meeting yesterday had a million ideas, conspiracies, and possibilities floating around. Two things had him worried, not that he'd say those exact words. First, he still didn't like the idea of going to UA as a known target. Putting the faculty, staff, and students in danger didn't sit well with him. Second, All Might. Though it wasn't widely known, most people understood, All Might's quirk was gone or greatly diminished. And a handful of the upper echelons in society understood his power had been passed on to another.

With that in mind, Bakugo believed the Daizen 7 would be aware of this. Especially if they had someone who was capable of communicating with technology to steal data or gain information. Even if he had a fraction of his strength, wouldn't they have still attempted to go after him? A teleporter, a bloodsucker, a technopath, and a shapeshifter shouldn't have been able to easily overpower him. Bakugo glanced to the window, watching a few birds floating through the skyscrapers.

"Four minutes, Bakugo," Kamui said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "What's on your mind?"

Bakugo met Kamui's eyes. "Explain the reason behind this whole going to UA thing."

"The reason is simple, returning to a normal routine."

"What about me and the others going to UA is normal? Why not send us to our normal patrolling routes?"

Kamui sighed and reached for his phone. He dialed two numbers and put the phone against his ear. "Akira, push my meeting back half an hour please and thank you." When he put the phone down, he stood and walked around his desk, heading to the leather couches in the middle of the room. He plopped down and stretched his arms across the back of the couch. "One day, Katsuki Bakugo you will be an amazing leader. You question everything and that is what a leader must always do."

Bakugo blinked. "Thanks, but I didn't come here for praise. I came for answers."

Kamui chuckled. "Still got to work on those people skills though."

"Answer the question."

"We're making a controlled environment."

Bakugo raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"You're going to UA for a day, but you aren't going to be staying there. Like I said in the meeting, you will be working with elite students from the school, third years who are about to enter their final internships before graduating. It's their summer training camp, secluded and away from major cities or towns."

Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Summer training camp."

"That's right," Kamui said with a nod. "We're dangling a carrot. We need to see if they will take the bait. If they do we can assume their goal is simply revenge and take out any who will stand in their way."

"And if they don't?" Bakugo took a seat on the couch across from Kamui.

"Then they have a more specific goal, but you already know that. You didn't come here to complain," Kamui said, resting his arms on his knees as he leaned forward, eyeing Bakugo curiously. "You got bags under your eyes, you're not attacking like your usual rabid dog self, meaning you have a theory."

"I'm not a fucking rabid dog," Bakugo grumbled.

"You kinda are." Kamui chuckled. "I digress though."

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "The UA thing aside, I want to talk about All Might and his involvement in this."

"I agree with what you said in the meeting," Kamui replied, staring down at the ornamental green rug on the floor. He shook his head and let out a breath. "And like I said yesterday, there's a lot we don't know. That's why the first step of our mission is to gather intel."

Bakugo nodded. "I know, but I don't think this is a simple revenge plot. I think there's more to it."

"Such as?"

"According to the report, Ryukyu's blood had been drained with very little left around her unlike Edgeshot and Gang Orca, there blood remained. Why?" Bakugo sank back into the cushions of the couch.

"What's your theory?"

"We know nothing about Fujimori, right?"

Kamui nodded. "Correct."

"Shapeshifter was dead when I left him. He was dead according to the autopsy report. Yet he appeared again," Bakugo explained and ran his fingers through his hair. It was a long shot, but at the moment it was better than nothing. They needed something to work with and something in his gut told him the missing blood and repparence of someone who by all accounts should be dead was that lead they needed. "That asshole didn't get on the train out of the blue, someone helped him. The train driver was dead. What if the accomplice took some blood and Fujimori brought him back?"

"Let me make sure I'm following. You think they might bring Ryukyu back because she didn't have any blood?"

"She was a fucking dragon," Bakugo pointed out. "We don't know who's involved, short of Lollipop Bitch the only attackers have only been the main four. What if they are building an army or something?"

Kamui rubbed the back of his neck. "For what reason?"
"I don't know." Bakugo shrugged. "I don't think we should rule it out though."

"I don't either, but this only further confirms we need to know why they're doing this. For now, we have to wait and stay cautious and alert. We need more information." Kamui stood and walked to the window. He kept his back to Bakugo, clasping his hands together. "I sent Hawks and Endeavor to America for that specific reason. Thousands of files going missing at a research facility that specializes in quirks, it makes your theory seem even more possible. That being said, we need to know why so we can understand their goal."

Bakugo stared at the succulents in the middle of the coffee table. "The why is the most important puzzle piece. That's what you've been telling me since I came to work here."

Kamui laughed. "Why villains do things tell us what steps to take next. I'm imparting wisdom."

Bakugo stood and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm working on the why."

"I know," Kamui said, turning to face Bakugo. "Now, go and impart some wisdom to those future heroes."

-xXx-

Ochaco placed her hands on her hips and laughed as she stood in front of the entrance to UA. The nostalgia washed over her the first time she walked down the sidewalk and met both Deku and Bakugo. Or at least got a glimpse of his rage. Not much had changed over the years either, the UA Barrier still stood strong, the lush greenery at the entrance looked well cared for as always. It was like coming home.

Bakugo walked up beside her, black and orange duffle bag hanging from his shoulder. He huffed, grabbing the strap of his bag as he stared at the massive building, the windows glistened in the mid-afternoon sun. Bakugo pulled out his phone and checked the time. "Last class of the day just started."

"All Might said they'd be at Gym Gamma," Ochaco said. "I wonder if Momo and Todoroki are already here?"

"Ponytail is just as bad as Specs when it comes to arriving. You're late if you aren't half an hour early." Bakugo shook his head and approached the blue archway.

"We can't get in without ID, remember." Ochaco followed him.

"I know," Bakugo replied, then pointed down the walkway. "But we're being expected."

Ochaco smiled and waved open seeing Present Mic heading their way. He hadn't changed in the slightest. When he reached the entrance, he eyed them both and laughed. "Look at you two all grown-up."

"It's good to see you, Present Mic." Ochaco bowed to him then glanced at Bakugo, who stood by barely giving a nod. She rolled her eyes. The whole ride over, Bakugo had been grumpy. If she had to guess, it was more about having to work with teenagers than having to come back to UA. And she didn't want to completely rule out his worry about the Daizen 7. In fact, he'd been running a little late that morning, which was very un-Bakugo like. She went looking for him, finding him leaving Kamui Woods office. His expression had been hard, his eyes a little glazed like he was buried in his thoughts. She probed a little, but he swore up and down that it was nothing.

"How's it feel to come back?" Present Mic asked.

"A little weird," Ochaco replied with a chuckle. "But it's nice to see it again."

"How good are these kids?" Bakugo asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Present Mic smirked. "They're tough, reminds me of your class to be honest. Come on, you guys can change into your gear and see for yourself." He turned around and held a hand up in the air before looking back at them. "This way."

They crossed the threshold and followed Present Mic toward the main building. Ochaco glanced around, taking it all in with a smile on her face. To their left, the once forested area had been changed into an outdoor pavilion with a beautiful three tier water fountain, brick paths, flowering shrubs, and picnic areas. A few students were hanging around, computers and pieces of technology strewn on the tables. She figured it was the support class working on the next big thing.

Ochaco bumped Bakugo with her shoulder and he glanced at her. "You okay?"

"I still think this a risky idea," Bakugo muttered, giving a halfhearted shrug. "I understand the reasoning behind it, but I'd hate for what happened to me to happen to one of these students."

Ochaco smiled. Bakugo had never really opened up about being taken by the League of Villains during their first year at UA. He was tough and brash, so dishing out the emotional turmoil it created wasn't something others were privy to. The scars ran deep and during their third year, he opened up about it briefly the night before graduation. They had all been together and told stories and shared memories.

After most of their class had gone to sleep, only a handful of them remained awake, standing around the kitchen island. She remembered it all so well. Bakugo, Tokoyami, Kirishima, Tsu, and herself were just talking about things they'd never forget while attending UA. For Ochaco she said it was her fight against Bakugo at their first Sports Festival. He laughed at her, saying that was the day he learned her name. And then, he shared that he would never forget being a prisoner to the League of Villains. He kept it short, but Ochaco remembered one important detail: Bakugo admitted he was scared.

For as long as she had known Bakugo and after seeing everything he went through while in high school, that was the one and only time he admitted to being afraid of anything. He was more of the I-laugh-in-the-face-of-danger then proceeds to blow shit up. Even to the current point in time, Bakugo never showed or acted upon his fear.

"You guys can get changed in here, then head over to Gym Gamma," Present Mic said and gestured to the small blue roofed building behind him. Across the top in large gold letters it read: Staff Lounge. "Todoroki and Yayaorozu are already over there."

"We'll be there soon," Ochaco said as she walked toward the door of the staff lounge with Bakugo on her heels. She pulled the door open and Bakugo reached overhead, holding it open for her. "Thanks."

"You think these brats are going to be anything special?"

Ochaco chuckled. "They did say they were an elite group, so I imagine they are some kind of special."

Bakugo snorted. "I'm gonna push them hard."

"You really are worried about them, aren't you?"

Bakugo clicked his tongue and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm the target, I just don't like knowing I could be the reason they may get hurt or whatever."

Ochaco smiled at him and placed her hands on his shoulder. "Remember this is all part of the plan. We are going to protect the students if anything goes wrong."

Bakugo's eyes danced with hers for a moment before he smirked and nodded. "Alright, Pink Cheeks."

"Also, we're here to teach the students, not make them change careers." She patted his shoulders and turned around.

"If they can't handle me, they shouldn't be heroes."

Ochaco laughed and wandered across the simple lounge. A couple of couches were placed in the middle of the room, a round table over by a kitchenette area, and two separate bathrooms for men and women. They split off to get changed. She wanted to stay positive and believe the students would be fine and the Daizen 7 would not attack. One way or another they would tangle with them, but she didn't want the students to get hurt either.

She looked at herself in the mirror and let out a breath. Light shone in through the rectangular window across from the entrance. She rested her bag on the white countertop and removed her office attire. Unzipping her gym bag, Ochaco pulled out her black and pink form fitting bodysuit. Since her time at UA, she hadn't changed the overall look, but rather added a few support items and had more of the pressure point pieces be made sleeker and less bulky.

Once in her bodysuit, she secured her utility belt, and slipped on her boots. She dug in her bag and put on her visor, which had been the most upgraded piece of equipment having a thermal scanner and night vision technology built in. She clapped on her arm bracers and looked into the bag at the four weighted rings. A smile spread across her face as she lifted one of the black ones and used her quirk to lighten it. She placed it around her upper arm and did so with the remaining pieces.

It had been a long time since she had been in her full hero costume. Three months had come and gone while her costume collected dust in her gym bag. She smiled, happy to see herself in it once again. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Ochaco put her office attire into her bag, zipped it up, and made her way back into the main lounge area.

Bakugo was already outside, placing his bag in the locker spaces along the front wall. He turned around and Ochaco paused for a moment, taking in everything about him. The sleek metal wrapped around his muscled arms shined under the light, he held his mask and slipped it on. A flash of the younger Bakugo from school brought a smile to her face.

"What?" Bakugo asked as he adjusted his black mask.

Ochaco shook her head. "Nothing. You ready?"

"Let's see what these supposed elite brats are made of."

Together they made their way to Gym Gamma. When they reached the doors, Bakugo pulled them open, allowing Ochaco to go inside first. In the middle of the gym, Momo stood in between two students, one to her left and the other on her right. Todoroki stood on the outer edge of the gym beside All Might and Present Mic.

Momo held a metal rod in her hand and twirled it around. The students surrounding her were both males. The one to the left went in first, charging in at full speed, but Momo slammed the metal rod against his chest. She whipped back toward the boy on her right as he moved in, spinning the rod in her hand, slid it between his legs, and flung him over her shoulder. He slammed hard on the ground, rolling onto his stomach and shakily rose to his feet.

"Your movements are too predictable," Momo said, leaning against the metal rod. "Brute strength alone isn't going to help you win in a fight."

Ochaco and Bakugo approached the training session. Everyone looked their way as they approached. She felt a little nervous with all eyes on them. She had never had the opportunity to teach before.

"That's Ground Zero," one of the girls whispered to another. "He's cuter in person."

Ochaco ignored their words, but internally was rolling her eyes. Not that they were wrong, but they should be focusing on something other than Bakugo's handsome appearance. After a few seconds of being gawked at, Ochaco cleared her throat and waved to the students. "I'm Uravity and this is Ground Zero, we're from the Kaumi Woods Agency in Kyoto. Nice to meet you all."

-xXx-

Shinso and Kirishima walked along the harbor, heading for the old factory district where heavy machinery was once constructed. According to Iida, a lot of homeless resided in the area and that's where they would find the teens he'd been trying to reach. Eraserhead had gone with Iida to the agency to learn more about the human trafficking ring. So it was up to Shinso and Kirishima to get information from the kids.

The briney air stung Shinso's nose as they walked toward the sun-bleached and rusted factory buildings at the end of the harbor. Seagulls cried out as they floated across the bright blue sky and buoy bells tolled in the distance, harmonizing with the foghorns of cargo ships heading out to sea.

"How are we going to play this?" Kirishima asked.

"I just wanna talk to them," Shinso explained.

"Are you going to use your quirk?"

Shinso shook his head. "I violate their privacy like that and we'll never get anything from them."

They were dressed in their civilian wear, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. The way Iida talked, most of the teenagers took off whenever heroes or the police came around. Shinso figured their fear was due to the fact they were petty thieves and if caught they'd end up in the system again. Bouncing from home to home or institution to institution, and that didn't exactly make anyone feel loved.

As they drew nearer to one of the first factories, Shinso held his hand out in front of Kirishima. They stopped and he nodded toward three kids sitting on a stack of wooden crates pressed against the side of a building. A loading bay was to their left and halfway open, nothing but darkness within.

"What's the plan?" Kirishima asked, glancing from Shinso to the kids.

"Iida said a lot of these kids sell drugs," Shinso said. "Let's go buy some."

Kirishima pursed his lips and strode over to the kids, when they were a few feet away one of the kids looked up. A girl, probably fourteen years old, narrowed her eyes at them. Shinso and Kirishima both stopped, or more rather could no longer move.

"Can you move?" Kirishima whispered.

"No," Shinso said, then studied the girl. Her hair was a dusty brown in color, wavy and she had bright blue eyes. The other two beside her appeared to be siblings as they both had the same nose shape and prominent brow ridge. "We don't want any trouble."

"We don't sell drugs and we're not looking for work," the girl said coolly. "Leave us alone."

Shinso licked his lips. Iida wasn't kidding when he said they trusted no one. He figured lying wouldn't get them anywhere, so he was going to plan B. "We're here about Kazuki Suoh."

"He's dead," the girl snapped.

"We know," Shinso replied.

"Then why come asking for him?"

"We want to catch his killer," Kirishima chimed in. "Can you help?"

"Seri, let's just get out of here. I'll drown them," the only boy in the group said, raising to his feet.

Shinso glanced to their right, noticing the waves growing wilder. He looked back at the girl called Seri. Her lips pressed together in a slight grimace as she stood from her perch, looking down at them. Her brows pulled in as she stared at Shinso, her mouth opened then quickly closed. She let out a breath and turned her back to them, running into the factory.

"Hold on!" Kirishima hollered.

"Just leave us alone!" the boy snarled, yanking his arm in front of him.

A massive wave rose up over the seawall and came barreling toward them. The other two kids took off as the wave slammed into him and Kirishima. The force was intense, knocking them both down and sweeping them down the alley. Shinso didn't fight the current. He floated along until he crashed into a chain link fence beside Kirishima.

The water subsided a few moments later. That kid had a hell of a quirk. Shinso slipped off his shirt and wrung the water out of it. Kirishima groaned and plopped down, slipping off his boots and dumped out the excess water. It was clear getting close to the kids for more information wasn't going to be easy. Shinso looked at the end of the alley and pulled his shirt back on, combing his purple hair back.

"Do you think we should go after them?" Kirishima asked as he took off his shirt, squeezing as much water as he could out of it. "I don't think they're going to talk. Seems like whoever killed their friend has them pretty freaked out."

Shinso nodded. "I agree, but the girl, Seri, it looked like she wanted to talk to us."

"Meaning what?" Kirishima pulled on his shirt. "You think they're being told not to say anything about it."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Yokohama has always had a bad reputation for its gangs. We need to figure out if and how the Daizen 7 tie into all of this." Shinso sighed and shook his head. "Let's head back to the agency. Those kids aren't going to show themselves any time soon."

"Yeah and I'd prefer not to be drowned," Kirishima grumbled as he stuffed his feet back into his boots.

-xXx-

Midoriya lifted his arm to brace himself from the wind gusts coming from the black helicopter as it landed on the helipad of the Shield Tower. The helicopter door slid open and Midoriya approached as Hawks and Endeavor stepped out in their civilian attire. They each carried a suitcase and closed the helicopter door.

"Welcome to America," Midoriya said with a big smile, waving for them to follow him. As they walked to the elevator, the helicopter lifted away and flew back in the direction of the Los Angeles airport. "How was the trip?"

"Cramped, I need to stretch my wings," Hawks said, opening his red wings to their full length then flapped them a few times. "Also, Endeavor won't admit it but we're starving. His stomach was growling so loud."

"I'd really like some roasted bird," Endeavor sneered, earning a laugh from Hawks.

Midoriya chuckled and swiped a card key at the elevator door. It dinged and the metal doors slid open. He held his arm in front of the doors, allowing the two to enter first. "We have food ready for you as well as your rooms, I'm sure you both need your rest."

Midoriya pressed the button for the thirtieth floor, six floors from where they currently were. The Shield Tower was owned and built by David Shield and Melissa Shield. They were the leading support item and hero costume designers in all of North America. For the past six months of him working with them, he had gained quite the recognition. Tabloids loved to snap pictures of him and Melissa any time they were out together. They weren't dating, but the media sure liked to make it seem like they were.

When the elevator stopped, Midoiriya brought them into a lounge space. Shield Tower was designed to be a state of the art facility that included more than offices and research labs, but also living quarters for any guests they were hosting. They'd offered Midoriya a place to stay on several occasions, but he also turned them down, opting to live in his own place.

Melissa and David were both in the room and quickly stood to greet their guests as they walked in. Midoriya turned to Endeavor and Hawks. "Mr. Todoroki, Mr. Takami I'd like to introduce you to David and Melissa Shield."

"It's nice to meet you both, please make yourselves at home during your stay," David said, bowing his head toward the two. "I'm sure you would like to get settled in, but I think there is something you should know about BioSyn."

Kamui Woods had informed Midoriya, David, and Melissa about the situation regarding the Daizen 7, specifically because of the missing files for BioSyn. As designers of costumes and support items, Melissa and David worked with many research facilities around the world in order to create the best resources possible for heroes. One of the research facilities David had worked closely with for nearly two decades was BioSyn.

"Sixteen years ago there was an incident at the lab, resulting in the death of the lead researcher Rei Kazuma," David explained as he sat down in his chair while Melissa stood behind him. Hawks and Endeavor sat on the couch across from him while Midoriya sat on the armrest. "Prior to her death, she was having an affair with one of the subjects of her research."

"So what does that have to do with our case?" Endeavor asked, crossing his arms as he sank back into the couch.

"Kaumi Woods sent the image of the person you all believe to possibly be a . The supposed unknown leader of the Daizen 7, right?" David said as he reached for his tablet on the end table. He tapped on the screen a few times then scrolled before flipping it around. Shinso's sketch was up beside a picture of the same man, only he didn't have a scar over his eye. "This was the man she was having an affair with."